Not Galactica!

Joseph Laszlo | August 31, 2007, 02:34 PM

Argh. I try to put personal feelings aside when I'm in analyst blogging mode, but this is a tough one. I watched a fair chunk of the previous season of Sci-Fi's awesome "Battlestar Galactica" (BSG) via iTunes downloads (I was traveling a lot, don't have a slingbox, and it was easier to view them via laptop). $1.99 was a fine price to pay.

Now NBC's had a spat with Apple, and is withdrawing its content.

As Michael pointed out, Apple's spinmeisters have masterfully seized control of the situation, making NBC look downright rapacious ($4.99 an episode! Highway robbery!) Apple's also pulling the plug on NBC's shows before the new season starts (robbing NBC of the opportunity to promote new programs via iTunes). That hurts both sides, but shows Apple's dead serious about this.

I suppose if NBC's JV with News Corp, Hulu.com, offers BSG next day for free, that's a fair enough alternative in my book, and lets me keep watching online legally if I need to.

But it's our view that in these early days of online video, it makes more sense to distribute video content far and wide (controlling piracy of course) so that it is where the audience is, rather than making the audience seek out the video. And iTunes is where the audience is today.

Here's hoping this all gets resolved before the year is out and I can still get my cylon fix on my laptop or iPod if I want it there.